12 Questions with McAllen Chamber Board Member Brian Godinez

2) What is your favorite movie? To Kill A Mockingbird. It reminds me of growing up in Pharr, small town, just like the community in that movie. My father was an attorney; he was my Atticus. He had cases very similar, civil rights cases. It’s a perfect snapshot of my years that I can remember from the ages of 4 to 13.

3) What was your favorite vacation spot? Huatulco. It’s a part of the Mexican Riviera on the Pacific side. Spring of 1996, that’s where I proposed to Leigh Ann. Everything I love to do we did – fish, golf, party, drink, dance. On top of that, I won a grito contest!

4) What is your life’s motto? Connected Communities. It’s what I do. It’s what I live by. It’s what I strive for. That’s what wakes me up and puts me to bed. Communities – whether it’s getting families together, cities getting together, regions getting together; I help get them connected. That’s why I’m in communications. To me the simplest form of solving all of our issues is communication because it’s all comprised of humans. When you get human beings together to communicate, problems will be solved, challenges will be overcome, and opportunities will be created.

5) Where were you born? Houston. Lived there my first three years. My dad was going to college before he went to law school.

6) What was a life-changing event in your life? The birth of my two children, Nicolas and Kristina: two moments of meaningful, significant change. There have been hundreds of life-changing moments, but those are the two that rise to the top.

7) What makes you laugh? Everybody Loves Raymond, out loud, a lot. It’s the best television show that depicts my marriage and my relationship with my in-laws and/or my mother.

8) What is the question you most want answered? When will I stop having an impact in my world? It’s an answer I don’t want to know, but it’s one I talk and think about when I’m having moments of reflection.

9) What is the happiest thing for you to think about? Twenty-four hours of making my wife happy. Just knowing that she’s happy for twenty-four hours makes me happy because the outcome of that tends to be a bit selfish for me.

10) What is the first thing you do each morning? Grab my telephone. Not so much to make a phone call, but to see what has transpired from communications I made the night before. I want to know if anything is actually getting solved today.

11) What are any apps or other technology you use to get things done? My smartphone. It’s with me 24/7. My office, my personal, my civic involvement, clients, family – it’s all in this phone. From pictures to documents to communications. I use so many apps on a daily basis from my calendar to our security system. I would say probably the one I use more than anything is my text app. Then it would be Safari as it’s my access to the world.

12) What is the last thing you do before going to bed? I check my phone for the day I have ahead of me just to be sure that I’ve set my alarms for everything I have to do the next day. When you have connected communities as your vision or mission, you’d better be sure you’re there to help make it happen.